Pocket Watch
by SilvertonguedSerpent1895
Summary: Come one, come all! Step right up, folks, and watch the great Ron Weasley descend into madness! Just five dollars! *OneShot. **Does not actually cost five dollars to read.


It all started with a suicide.

Astoria was the one who found her. No one ever saw it coming, no one noticed anything off or strange. She screamed. Not a fangirl scream. Not happy. Terror and despair, encased in that one sound. That was when we knew something was seriously wrong.

She'd bought a pocket watch. The battery was missing. It was chained around her wrist, frozen at 4:33. The note said she took out the battery the moment she made the decision. She'd written it with blood. In Egyptian. It took ages to decode.

An empty pill bottle was held loosely in her hand. The same hand the watch was chained to.

Salty trails led down her cheeks.

She'd died crying, with a smile on her face.

* * *

There are voices all around me.

_You killed her,_ they sing. _You killed her._

_I'm not listening. I'm not listening. I'm not listening. I'm not listening! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!_

_You killed her._

Someone pulls me away by my arms. Away from Hermione. Away from my best friend.

_You killed her._

A new voice surfaces. It's Hermione's.

_Your fault,_ she laughs. _It's your fault I'm dead. You ignorant prat!_

_No. No. No no no no nononononono! This isn't happening._

_Oh, yes it is, sweetheart,_ Hermione sings. _This is real. And you're to blame._

_Stop. No. Nonononononononono!_

Someone screams at me, shaking my shoulders. "Ron!" he cries. "RON!"

I ignore him.

* * *

The old priest won't shut up.

We're at Hermione's funeral. I don't remember getting here. I don't remember waking up. I can't remember anything from the last two weeks.

Someone behind me is crying. I can't. I want to. I've run out of tears to cry. Now all I am is numb.

The service ends. Everybody stands. People pat me on the back, they give fake condolences. They don't give a crap. They've got no reason to be here.

I don't stay any longer. I can't bear it.

They buried her with it. The pocketwatch. And the note. Even in the end, she still had to be quirky and odd. An Egyptian suicide note. Written in blood. Hilarious.

* * *

A bead of red bubbles up from my skin.

I drag the blade across my wrist. Slowly, agonizingly. It's stupid, I know, but it feels so good.

Everyone's worrying about me. My parents, strangers, Hermione's folks, all our friends. I can't find it in me to care.

The knife goes across again.

And again.

And again.

Tiny rivers of blood streak down my arms. I smile down at them. They're so beautiful.

A drop falls to the floor. I laugh.

* * *

Harry runs up to my table at lunch.

I'm finally going to school again. He looks happy. It's sickening. I get up and turn to go.

He grabs my arm to stop me. I wince and drop my bag.

He tries to pull up my sleeve. I jerk my arm away, pick up my bag, and run.

_Your fault,_ Hermione laughs. _Your fault. Your fault. It's all your fault._

_You killed her,_ they sing. _You killed her. You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

Run, run. Out of the castle. Past the greenhouses. Past the lake. Past the edge of the forest. Into the trees. Run. Run. Run.

_If I can run far enough away,_ I tell myself, _They'll stop. She'll go away._

Run, run. Faster. Faster.

Harry calls after me.

I ignore him.

* * *

I have no idea where I am.

My chest is burning. My legs are lead. I can't move at all.

_You killed her,_ they sing. _You killed her. You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

It didn't work. I scream into the grass.

_Cheer up,_ Hermione whispers. _You have so many more people to kill._

Salty tears slip down my cheeks. I let them.

* * *

Someone is screaming at me.

Shaking my shoulders.

Stinging my arms with their salty tears.

I force my eyes open. It's Harry. He's crying. He never cries.

He notices I'm awake. He screams louder, holds up my arm in front of my face. "Why?!" he shouts. "Why?!"

I roll my eyes at him.

I still can't move.

* * *

I'm in an office.

McGonagall tries to make me speak.

I ignore her.

_You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

She _asks_ me why I cut myself.

I ignore her.

_You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

She asks me why I ran away.

I ignore her.

_You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

She asks me why I won't say anything.

I ignore her.

* * *

I'm on my bed with the curtains closed around me.

The blood keeps flowing down. I dig my nails in deeper.

_You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

They took away all the sharp objects. Figures.

_You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

Harry walks in. He doesn't see me. The curtains are closed.

_You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

The blood darkens the red sheets, but only slightly.

_You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

Darkness creeps into the corners of my vision. I smile. It's coming.

_You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

Harry pulls back the curtain. He sees me. I keep smiling, dig my nails in farther.

He screams.

_You killed her. You killed her. You killed her._

The last thing I see is Hermione, sitting at the foot of my bed. She smiles at me. And then she's gone. I welcome the blackness.


End file.
